Bell's Banter 2021

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Speaking of MG's, I've seen a lot of TV & newspaper advertising over here lately for an MG SUV.

Has anybody ever actually seen a Chinese-built MG on the road?

Some friends of mine have the petrol SUV - the resurrected MGZS name. They're very pleased with it.

Another friend has an MG6, he feels likewise.

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[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

This kind of issue is due to the parts we use now and the very agressive components of some fuels. This you know better than us. The more you drive it the better. I remember a conversation with Joe, subject was the crappy fuel jets and air correctors sold nowadays.

Yes, I agree, but as I said the engine just stopped, the pump doesn't vibrate but it has got power and earth. I will be draining the system when I replace it. Hey ho, I was only going to take Monday off.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Yes, I agree, but as I said the engine just stopped, the pump doesn't vibrate but it has got power and earth. I will be draining the system when I replace it. Hey ho, I was only going to take Monday off.

I assume that you checked the coil?

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I assume that you checked the coil?

Good one!

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I assume that you checked the coil?

Actually I did...

[Gerard C]

Indeed…

[Gerard C]

I remember that before turning into the dark side of the farce, you've been a skilled Capri driver, Peter. The base you used was a road going car, yes? Guess what…
After giving many advices to the members of my club, I've been trapped by the coil. Changed four if not more times. Nothing cured the mysterious backfire. Then, a loooong while later I remembered my own words. "If its not the coil itself, check the positive feed wire. Ford have put a hidden ballast in the wiring loom"

[Mike Harte]

All joking aside, I can painfully recall that on a late Saturday morning back when I was racing in about 1966, my mechanic and I failed to start the Anglia so that we could load her up on to the trailer so that we would be ready when I finished work at 13.00 hours to rush off to Brands to do some testing.

I had only finished rebuilding and installing the engine in the very early hours of that day, and I had left the car in the loading bay where I always did the rebuilds under semi sterile conditions. I then rushed home in time to get about an hour's kip and a shower before whizzing back to work.

As I say, the car just wouldn't start, no matter what we checked or did, and after towing it round and round the factory yard trying to achieve something, somebody had the idea of changing the condenser, almost as a last option. We didn't have a spare one available, so I took the one out of my mother's Triumph Herald that I had borrowed, my Imp being serviced at the time, and hit the start button. And what do you know, it fired up and ticked over on the first turn of the starter.

I then had to park up the Herald so that we could get going, so I put the exchanged condenser in the distributor, and it also started straight up. We then went off to Brands, getting back rather late. By that time I had sort of forgotten that I had swapped the condensers, and after storing the car on it's trailer in the warehouse where I kept it at that time, I jumped in the Herald and drove home for some well deserved sleep before an early start next morning for a race at Snetterton.

My mother had that Herald for a number of years before giving it to my then wife after she had passed her driving test a couple of years after we married which was in 1971, and to the best of my knowledge, that condenser was never changed. Life is strange!

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

.

My mother had that Herald for a number of years before giving it to my then wife after she had passed her driving test a couple of years after we married which was in 1971, and to the best of my knowledge, that condenser was never changed. Life is strange!

I would have thought that it was just a dodgy connection on the points connecting wire inside the distributor. A car will start and run with a dodgy condenser but only for a short while as the points contacts will arc and burn out and stop working. The fact that the Herald ran, and possibly for a long time after shows it was possibly OK. When I ran points back in the 60s I used to fit another condenser on the outside of the distributor to double up and never had any trouble

[Gerard C]

Is there a new generation of condensers, more reliable, available? In many series you still have to use a combination of points/condenser.

[Paul D]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Is there a new generation of condensers, more reliable, available? In many series you still have to use a combination of points/condenser.

There's a new generation of crap ones available! They come in boxes marked 'Lucas' & 'Bosch' & 'Marelli' but are actually made in China and are rubbish. I've had a few that are dud straight out of the box, and others that start acting up after just a few miles.

Back in the 'good old days', proper condensers lasted almost indefinitely and it certainly wasn't unusual for a ten yer old car to still be on its original condenser. I very much doubt any of the Chinese will last much longer than a year.

However, if you do have to run one due to the rules, there's a company near Bristol called 'Distributor Doctor' who are making this stuff again, but to the original quality by all accounts. But the range may be limited to Lucas and maybe some Bosch. Worth giving them a call though if you need a reliable one for racing.

[GORDON STREETER]

You can fit any type of points condenser, if you cant get it inside the distributor just bridge it into the wire on the outside and fit the condenser to a decent earth. Even an old radio supressing condenser that we had to fit years ago to stop the ignition interference will work.

[Gerard C]

Merci Messieurs pour ces avis éclairés! Had a look to the "Clinic" and found good info.
Do you use H&H ignition solutions sometimes? I met them several times at NEC, they were really friendly, knowledgeable and polite. On request, they recurve, changing the advance springs and weights. Good when you enter a series where only mechanical ignition timing is allowed.
Joke apart, I had some issues with Bosch coils made in Mexico or Brazil. Seems the copper quality is questionable.

Dont understand why the Fo-Mo-Co/ Motorcraft distributors have such a bad reputation.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Dont understand why the Fo-Mo-Co/ Motorcraft distributors have such a bad reputation.

They were one of the worst distributors made. They even had side play in them from new ! the dwell angle was never consistent. .
They were ok for a shopping car but not the best for competition.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Actually, my last post sent me off on a tangent. Of all those cars I'd have the Merc today - LHD, column change, bench front seat, full length Webasto style sunroof - so I started googling. I can't find a Merc 190, except the Uber expensive SL.

EDIT - found it. Yes I'd be happy with that sat in the garage.



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My neighbour had a 190 when we moved here back in the early 80s. Might have been a slightly later one than in the pics proffered. Perhaps '63 or so.

It was a bit of a dog and, of course, diesel.

As an engineer by professions (ships initially and then power stations) he took it upon himself to keep the thing going although that was very much secondary to his narrow bating activities.

I recall that the wipers packed up and the easiest way to get at the mechanism and make a repair was to cut a hole on the body between the bonnet and the windscreen and access the faulty parts that way.

I can't remember whether it was my impression at the time that he repaired the problem parts or just used that access method to change the motor.

Eventually it had to go. Replaced with one of those awful diesel Sierras as I recall.

The Merc should have been in a museum but the spec seemed to be so low that it was hardly of interest to anyone.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

They even had side play in them from new ! the dwell angle was never consistent. They were ok for a shopping car but not the best for competition.

I understand, thanks. Now I see why I found a bent axle.
When the type must remain the same, its either you have a good one professionally rebuilt, advance springs, diaphragm suppressed, etc… or find a refabricated one with a trigger already fitted.

[S griffin]

Hope you get it sorted out. How much is in your budget to get it repaired or replaced?

[Gerard C]

I'd say between obscene and unlimited… When you have a car ready, paid sky high for the engine/gearbox, you won't let a damn dizzy stop your efforts. With BDG's in the region of 45k€ and DFG's for the double you know that this kind of leasure has a price… Even a Grp1,5 is no bargain, a "simple" new Capri is more than 100k£ now. Ex VAT…

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

Is this the right way up, Iain?

Typical British workmen - 2 of 'em doing nowt, supping tea, with job half done

And watching concrete dry.

Do alarms need regular inspection and fettling?

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by grantp

Do alarms need regular inspection and fettling?

Yes, of course, ask any burglar in your area he will have this fixed for you. First visit is free…

[S griffin]

Just make sure it is a burglar though. They only wear their costumes at night!

[zefarelly]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

You can fit any type of points condenser, if you cant get it inside the distributor just bridge it into the wire on the outside and fit the condenser to a decent earth. Even an old radio supressing condenser that we had to fit years ago to stop the ignition interference will work.

The Jap motorbike ones are pretty good, readily available via the online jumble sale. I always look out for new old stock stuff, been running points reliably for years.

only starting issue I've ever had with the race car was on petronix, a cold damp Brans Morning we had to bump it . . . . doesn't work when the voltage drops due to cranking loads.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

only starting issue I've ever had with the race car was on petronix, a cold damp Brans Morning we had to bump it . . . . doesn't work when the voltage drops due to cranking loads.

The problem I had with my race engine was that, because the compression was high, it was very difficult to start it when it was cold, and it wouldn't fire on the Autolite racing plugs that Bert Avard gave me. The solution was that we retarded (I think it was retarded, it is an awfully long time ago, and I haven't touched a car engine for nigh on 55 years) the ignition a tad which had the effect of reducing the compression slightly and swapping over to Champion A5s to warm up, it would fire straight away.

If the car was on the trailer, I would bump start it when the back wheels touched the ground when we unloaded to save the battery life - I was a naughty boy, I can now admit, and used to run without the dynamo working when on hot laps, and also had other electrical power sappers turned off, such as brake lights to save battery life.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

only starting issue I've ever had with the race car was on petronix, a cold damp Brans Morning we had to bump it . . . . doesn't work when the voltage drops due to cranking loads.

That's why I always ran my racing cars with two12 volt batteries. One would run all the 12v electrics and the other one would be permanently bridged in series to run 24v to the 12v starter motor. This would fire up the engine immediately and I never suffered a burnt out starter motor in all my years at racing.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

That's why I always ran my racing cars with two12 volt batteries. One would run all the 12v electrics and the other one would be permanently bridged in series to run 24v to the 12v starter motor. This would fire up the engine immediately and I never suffered a burnt out starter motor in all my years at racing.

Wasn't another trick to have the starter motor re-wound as 9 instead of 12 volts so that it would spin a high compression engine a little quicker to start it?